"When you make a mistake, you have to own up to it," Gianforte said. "That's the Montana way. Last night, I made a mistake, and I took an action that I can't take back, and I'm not proud of what happened. I should not have responded in the way that I did, and for that I am sorry.

"I should not have treated that reporter that way. And, for that, I'm sorry, Mr. Ben Jacobs," Gianforte said, referring to the Guardian reporter who said Gianforte "body-slammed" him during a campaign event the night before.

Watch Gianforte's apology below:

Read Gianforte's full apology here:

"Sometimes hard work is born out of hard lessons. Last night, I learned a lesson. I need to share something from my heart here, and I just ask you to bear with me.

"When you make a mistake, you have to own up to it. That's the Montana way. Last night I made a mistake, and I took an action that I can't take back. I'm not proud of what happened. I should not have responded in the way that I did, and for that I'm sorry.

"I should not have treated that reporter that way, and for that I'm sorry, Mr. Ben Jacobs. I also want to apologize [to] the Fox News team that was there, and I'm sorry to each one of you that we had to go through this. That's not the person I am and it's not the way I'll lead in this state."

The altercation happened at Gianforte's campaign headquarters in Bozeman, Montana, on Wednesday. Jacobs said he was asking Gianforte some questions at a campaign event before their encounter turned violent.

Local authorities said in a statement on Wednesday that after "multiple interviews and an investigation by the Gallatin County Sheriff's office, it was determined there was probable cause to issue a citation to Greg Gianforte for misdemeanor assault."

Gianforte is expected to appear at Gallatin County Justice Court "between now and June 7," the police statement said.